Obama and Castro call for end of Cuba embargo

President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro discussed ways to improve relations between the two countries at a press conference during Obama's historic visit to Cuba.
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Cuban President Raul Castro raises President Obama's hand during a joint press conference at the Revolution Palace in Havana on Monday. Castro stood next to Barack Obama and hailed his opposition to a long-standing economic "blockade," but said it would need to end before ties are fully normalized.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

HAVANA — President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro emerged from two hours of meetings in Havana Monday agreeing on at least one thing: The 54-year economic embargo of Cuba needs to end so the economic ties between the two nations can improve.

At a mostly cordial but spirited press conference afterward, stark differences quickly emerged on issues of democracy and human rights. After unexpectedly agreeing to allow U.S. reporters to ask questions, Castro pushed back on questions about his government's human rights record, including the imprisonment of protesters and dissidents.

"Did you ask if we have political prisoners?" he challenged a television reporter, after consulting with an aide about whether he should even answer the question. "Give me a list of the political prisoners and I will release them directly. Give me a name or names ... It is not correct to ask me about political prisoners in general."

Human rights groups quickly released their own lists, saying the Castro regime detained 8,000 people for political reasons just last year. And Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said he's shared many such lists with the Cuban government over more than two years.

The issue is not that Cuba doesn't have a list. It's that the government insists that those being held are guilty of other Cuban crimes, Rhodes said.

Obama said the United States "will continue to speak out on democracy and fundamental human rights," but also sought to reassure Cuba that he would not impose its values on Cuba. "Cuba is sovereign and rightly has great pride, and the future of Cuba will be decided by Cubans, and not anybody else."

Fifteen months after Obama and Castro announced their intent to normalize relations, Obama said he's done almost all he can do to lift travel and trade restrictions without action by Congress. But he said it was only a matter of time before Congress votes to lift the embargo, and that the progress would continue even after he leaves office.

"The embargo's going to end. When, I can't be entirely sure," Obama said. "The reason is that what we did for 50 years did not serve our interests or the interests of the Cuban people."

On that, the two leaders agreed. But they also disagreed on a number of human rights issues. "There are profound differences between our countries that will not go away," Castro said. Obama said relations "will not be transformed overnight."

Human rights, Obama said, does not have to be the only issue U.S. and Cuban leaders discuss in the future, "but this is something we're going to stay on."

Castro said he did not think human rights issues "should be politicized." Castro said human rights mean different things to different countries. For example, women in Cuba receive equal pay for the same work as men, which is not true in other nations.

The extraordinary press conference allowed Castro to show the rhetorical style that, while more subdued than his brother Fidel, remained animated and defiant even at age 84. There were some bizarre moments, as when Castro aides suddenly appeared from behind a curtain and whispered comments to him. When Obama tried to get Castro to take more questions than they had originally agreed to, Castro demurred.

"There is a program here to be fulfilled, I know if I stay here you will ask 500 questions," he said. "I said I would answer one. Well, I will answer one and a half."

Castro then delivered his own exposition on human rights, saying the United States does not guarantee the right to health care, education, or equal pay for women. Obama said that he welcomed criticism of the United States from Castro and other Cuban leaders, which he called a sign of progress and that the two nations can speak candidly.

The White House was pleased with the exchange. "I think it was illuminating that it took place, and it highlighted the differences in our political systems," Rhodes said. "It lent itself to a great back and forth, and that's a good thing. It wouldn’t have happened without this policy."

Cuban President Raul Castro and President Obama hold talks in Havana on March 21, 2016.(Photo: Michael Reynolds, European Pressphoto Agency)

Obama and Castro's meeting Monday was their third face-to-face encounter since the two countries began to normalize relations 15 months ago, but it was the first on Castro's home turf and the first visit of a U.S. president to the island in 88 years.

"For more than half a century, the sight of a U.S. president here in Havana would have been unimaginable. But it's a new day, es un nuevo día, between out two countries," Obama said.

Castro said while differences remain between the two countries, Obama's visit was a key part toward building a new and positive relationship with the United States. Ties between the two nations started to fray in early 1959, when Castro's brother, Fidel, took power after a revolution ousted the former dictator Fulgencio Batista.

The United States then backed an unsuccessful invasion by Cuban exiles in April 1961 and started the economic embargo in February 1962.

Obama said the leaders deepened agricultural ties with Cuba. "With only 90 miles between us, we are natural trading partners," Obama said. He echoed Castro's call for Congress to end the embargo.

The United States has problems with the human rights records of many nations, such as China, Obama said. Despite those disagreements, he said, economic ties can improve.

Before their meeting, Obama and Castro reviewed an honor guard at the Palace of the Revolution and listened to the national anthems of both countries. Their two back-to-back meetings were the most extensive high-level talks between the United States and Cuba in decades. The first was one-on-one, with only translators, security and perhaps a close aide in the room. Afterward, the meeting was expanded to include top diplomats in both delegations.

While the United States has agreed to allow direct flights to Cuba, the Cuban government needs to do more, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that traveled with Obama.

"There have been some baby steps taken when it comes to the economy and the release of dissidents. More has to happen on the Cuban side," Klobuchar said.

President Obama, with members of the first family, talks with Cuban President Raul Castro as they attend an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National team at the Estadio Latinoamericano on March 22, 2016, in Havana. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

President Obama talks with Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson, before taking his seat with Cuban President Raul Castro as they attend an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National team on March 22, 2016. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

President Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro and members of the first family pause for a moment of silence for the victims of the terror attack in Belgium before the start of an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National team on March 22, 2016, in Havana. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

President Obama waves to the crowd before he delivers his speech at the Grand Theater of Havana on March 22, 2016. Obama said he came to Cuba to 'bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas.' Desmond Boylan, AP

Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer Alicia Alonso acknowledges applause as she enters the theater that bears her name, the Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso, before the arrival of President Obama in the Old Havana city center March 22, 2016 in Havana. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Maria Castro shouts slogans celebrating the visit by President Obama and the reconciliation of the Cuban and American peoples, while holding a Cuban and an American flag, near the Grand Theater of Havana, where President Obama delivered a speech on March 22, 2016. Ramon Espinosa, AP

First lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by her daughters Malia, center, and Sasha, second from right, and her mother Marian Robinson, right, pose with children during a ceremony at public library Ruben Martinez Villena in Havana on March 22, 2016. The Obama family planted two trees and donated a bench for the institution. Rolando Pujol, European Pressphoto Agency

First lady Michelle Obama gestures as she and her daughter Malia add a symbolic shovelful of dirt atop a gift of two magnolia trees and a bench at a small park beside Ruben Martinez Villena public library in Plaza de las Armas, Old Havana, on March 22, 2016. The bench, made of recycled materials, bears the inscription in English and Spanish "A gift to the people of Cuba from Mrs. Michelle Obama, first lady of the U.S., March 2016." Rebecca Blackwell, AP

First lady Michelle Obama, left, speaks accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, during a ceremony at public library Ruben Martinez Villena in Havana on March 22, 2016. Rolando Pujol, European Pressphoto Agency

Local residents shoot cellphone video from their front porch as the convoy carrying first lady Michelle Obama arrives at Hemingway House, in the San Francisco de Paula district of Havana, on March 21, 2016. Rebecca Blackwell, AP

Cuban President Raul Castro and President Obama speak to each other with the help of translators at the Palace of the Revolution on March 21, 2016, in Havana. The first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba in 88 years, Obama and Castro will be sitting down for bilateral talks. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry listen to the playing of the U.S. national anthem at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti memorial in Revolution Square on March 21, 2016, in Havana. Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Members of a Cuban military band prepare for the arrival of President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro at the Palace of the Revolution on March 21, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

First Lady Michelle Obama greets Cuban girls as she arrives for a Let Girls Learn roundtable at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano, in Havana, Cuba on March 21, 2016. Let Girls Learn is an initiative launched by the Obamas in 2015 to help overcome obstacles preventing adolescent girls from attending and completing school. Rebecca Blackwell, AP

People climb a window grate as they get wet in the rain, in hopes of catching a glimpse of President Obama during his visit to Cathedral Square in Old Havana, Cuba on March 20, 2016. Rebecca Blackwell, AP

President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia look at a statue of Cuban independence hero Carlos Manuel de Cespedes during their visit to Old Havana, Cuba on March 20, 2016. Ramon Espinosa, AP

A Cuban family in Havana, with a photo of legendary Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara on the wall, watch on TV the arrival of President Obama to Cuba on March 20, 2016, for a historic three-day visit to the communist-ruled island. On Sunday, Obama became the first U.S. president in 88 years to visit Cuba, touching down in Havana for a landmark trip aimed at ending decades of Cold War animosity. Rodrigo Arangua, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama talks to tourists and Cubans at his arrival to the Havana Cathedral on March 20, 2016. On Sunday, Obama became the first US president in 88 years to visit Cuba, touching down in Havana for a landmark trip aimed at ending decades of Cold War animosity. Yamil Lage, AFP/Getty Images

Violeta Arango and her son Oscarito watch President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at Jose Marti airport, broadcast live on Cuban television inside their home in Havana March 20, 2016. Obama's trip is a crowning moment in his and Cuban President Raul Castro's ambitious effort to restore normal relations between their countries. Desmond Boylan, The Associated Press

Cuban citizens look on a mobile phone at abroadcast of the US President Barack Obama's arrival at the Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba, 20 March 2016. US President Barack Obama arrives in Cuba for an official visit until 22 March to seal the process of rapprochement with the Communist-ruled island. Obama is accompanied by his wife Michelle, his daughters Malia and Sasha, and his mother-in-law Marian Robinson. The visit of Obama to Cuba from 20 to 22 March 2016 is the first visit of a US president to Cuba since US President Calvin Coolidge's visit 88 years ago. ROLANDO PUJOL, European Press Agency

President Barack Obama walks in the heavy rain visiting Cathedral Square in Havana. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

President Barack Obama walks in the heavy rain visiting Cathedral Square in Havana. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

President Barack Obama (right), First Lady Michelle Obama (center), and their daughter Malia Obama (left) walk in the heavy rain visiting Cathedral Square in Havana. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

President Barack Obama (right), First Lady Michelle Obama (center), and their daughter Malia Obama (left) walk in the heavy rain visiting Cathedral Square in Havana. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

President Barack Obama walks in the heavy rain visiting Cathedral Square in Havana. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK

The plane transporting President Obama lands at Jose Marti international airport in Havana on March 20, 2016. Obama, who is on a historic three-day visit to the communist-ruled island, flew to Cuba Sunday. He is the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge arrived by battleship in 1928 to address the Pan-American Conference. Yuri Cortez, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama (front R) carries an umbrella as he and First Lady Michelle Obama (front L) disembark from Air Force One upon their arrival in Havana, Cuba. Walking behind are their daughters Malia (C-L), Sasha Obama (C-R) and his mother-in-law Marian Robinson (R). Ernesto Mastrascusa, European Pressphoto Agency

President Obama, second from left, arrives with first lady Michelle Obama, left, and their daughters Sasha, far right, and Malia, as they exit Air Force One at the airport in Havana, Cuba. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

A Cuban family in Havana, with a photo of legendary Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara on the wall, watch on TV the arrival of President Obama to Cuba on March 20, 2016, for a historic three-day visit to the communist-ruled island. Rodrigo Arangua, AFP/Getty Images

Obama and Castro have met twice before: first at the Pan-American summit in Panama and again at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. There have been no plans announced for Castro to visit Washington.

Obama began the day with a wreath laying at a memorial to Jose Marti, the turn-of-the-century Cuban nationalist leader considered a unifying figure in Cuban history.

"It is a great honor to pay tribute to Jose Marti, who gave his life for independence of his homeland," Obama wrote in the guest book at the Marti memorial."His passion for liberty, freedom, and self-determination lives on in the Cuban people today."

After the meeting with Castro, Obama participated in an entrepreneurship summit hosted by broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien. The Obama administration wants to boost the emerging cuentapropistas who are increasingly making a living independent of government-owned enterprises.